UPDATE: Las Vegas Movie Studio Bill Dies as Session Ends
Posted on: June 3, 2025, 09:02h.
Last updated on: June 3, 2025, 04:54h.
- The legislative effort to bring a movie studio to Las Vegas failed on Monday night
- Legislators couldn’t merge a bill passed in the Assembly with legislation in the Senate before this year’s legislative session came to a close
- The legislature isn’t scheduled to convene again until February 2027
UPDATE: Assembly Bill 238 (AB 238), which would have provided $1.8 billion in tax credits to build a movie studio owned and run by Sony and Warner Bros. in Las Vegas, died Monday night in the Nevada Senate, three days after being passed by the state’s Assembly. Last-minute efforts to merge AB 238 with a similar Senate bill failed on the last day of the state’s biennial session. Nevada’s next regular session is scheduled to convene on Feb 2, 2027.
EARLIER: Nevada’s Assembly on Friday narrowly passed a bill designed to provide $1.8 billion in tax credits for Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery to jointly bring a movie studio to Las Vegas. Assembly Bill 238 passed 22 votes to 20 and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
To incentivize the studios to build the $1.8 billion Summerlin Production Studios — named for the Las Vegas neighborhood in which the 31-acre complex would be located — Nevada offered the largest public subsidy in its history (edging out the $1.25 billion it approved over 20 years in 2014 for Tesla Motors to build a lithium battery factory).
Under AB 238, the current cap for film tax breaks of $10 million per year would balloon to $120 million per year, for 15 years, beginning in 2028.
Two recent studies commissioned by the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development determined that the bill is unlikely to generate sufficient tax revenue to offset its costs. (One projected that the state would receive only 52 cents in tax revenue for every dollar spent on the tax breaks.)
Supporters of the bill believe that the long-term economic benefits would include indirect and induced impacts generated by the studio.
Hollywoodn’t
Boding significantly against the bill’s chances of becoming law during this legislative session is the only three days the Senate has left to consider it before the session ends. (Nevada’s Legistature convenes every two years.)
The Senate has its own bill, SB 220, which proposes building a separate film studio — one with no major movie studio backing — at UNLV’s Harry Reid Technology and Research Park.
That bill is stuck in the Senate Finance Committee.
A similar bill considered at the end of the 2023 session never made it to a floor vote.
Last Comments ( 13 )
BTW! After the construction disruption is complete, the only jobs will be pidly $10 an hour (14 hour days), movie extra jobs. Been there, done that. NO THANKS
PERFECT! We don't need anymore Bollywood Elites. Maybe the next session we'll some County Commissioners who can't be bought for a height variance rule of 50 feet to 75. Traffic around the area is bad enough, without adding a main gate across the street from a Retirement Community Resident Only entrance. The 35 mile an hour speed limit on Flamingo is just a suggestion, since it's rarely observed & even less enforced. Ditto for Tropicana to Town Center, and Town Center to the 215. Just the hint of this project has driven home prices and property taxes in and around the area thru the roof. With all vacant land around Las Vegas; BUILD AWAY FROM RESIDENTIAL AREAS!
Betty, What reason(s) would you have to say "No" to such a great industry & to support jobs in Las Vegas? Can't you conceptualize what the benefits are, And how proud we'd be as Nevadans to see: * "Made @ Summerlin Studios, Las Vegas" in the credits of an Academy Award Winning film, or a Blockbuster much watched Worldwide movie? Think of a struggling small business owner with a large family, suddenly seeing an influx of support for their: Restaurant, Cafe, Nail & Hair Salon, Cell phone store, Hardware, Plumbing, Creative Artists, Makeup, Film Support . . . the List of Benefits are ENDLESS! I'm scratching my head to think of the cons? Traffic? Financials ROIs? Look at the Stuntman's comment above . . . And don't listen to those "Experts" lining their pockets to kill the bill, and Not doing their jobs! To represent the collective majority of their NV voters!!! Build the Studio, already!
It's a NO BRAINER! The Intangible benefits alone will more than benefit Las Vegas!!! A MOVIE STUDIO in Summerlin? Duh! The JOBS Provided by such a Worldwide Beacon of Notoriety will put much of the focus on improving all aspects of its location. Restaurants, catering, entertainment, golf, all local recreation, leisure, creative arts . . . Geeze! * How dumb would legislature have to be to not pass this??? Bribery from fanatical self interest & libertards? I see that legislature won't reconvene FOR TWO YEARS? Are they being PAID to work or go on vacation? What a crock of shit, "Our elected officials who "REPRESENT THE CONSTITUANTS???" It's obvious SUPPORT for this STUDIO IS OVERWEALMING!!! Do your JOB Legislature! And place LAS VEGAS, More, ON THE WORLDWIDE STAGE OF THE MOVIE INDUSTRY & for Progress!!! A Constituant AND Summerlin Resident.
People think this is money being pulled from the state fund that should be sent to schools. While schools do need more funds, this assumption is not the case. This is a deferral from paying taxes in return Southern Nevada gets a huge economic boost with a new industry. The new jobs it will bring is tremendous and will pump dollars onto the economy. ROI calculations from the “experts” is not correct.
I'm an Stuntman/Actor from Ohio. Ohioans have a similar bill that raised tax incentives for film studios to use the state. It Flourished!!! Since it's inception we've been able to raise the tax cap 2 times to allow more and more film into the state. Great jobs for our community, and tons of business to our local stores/ hotels/ restaurants, etc. We just filmed the new Superman movie last year. Every dollar spent, brings $2.17 in revenue to the state. It's a statewide money multiplier! You'd be stupid to pass on this bill!
The media needs to follow the money trail of votes.
special assembly an option
How is it that a future tax credit is being looked at as an investment which requires an ROI? That would indicate a loss of current revenue from taxes that don’t exist today. The only loss of revenue would be taxes from the current undeveloped property. What am I missing?
Yes please support the film studio bills!
Please vote yes on AB 238. It'll bring over 17000 jobs to our beautiful state. Not only film jobs, also jobs for cooks, drivers, construction workers, hairdressers, makeup artists, consultants, accountants, apprenticeships for film students, teachers for kids on sets, etc. And it will help small businesses, as well as bringing billions of dollars to the state. We will get jobs and revenues long before the tax credits take place in 2028. Please vote yes, we Nevadans need the jobs
NO
I know why corp.didnt want to make a movie in Atl Wise Decision